I’m looking for case studies for my current commission.

Hi,

Have you changed careers and found your dream vocation? Taking part could provide some free publicity?

I’m writing ‘Great Answers to Tough Career Choices’ to be published 2011 by Kogan Page (I have 17 books in print with this publisher). It targets adults who are undecided, discontent in work or who ask themselves ‘what shall I do? It will include a chapter of case studies of real people who took the plunge and realised their dream career. You will have your own page or two describing what you were doing before, what you do now and how you realised your new vocation. The entry will include details of your website so that readers may find out more. I would like one of the case studies to be someone who gave up their day job to write professionally. If you are interested then please provide:


1. Name that you wish to appear

2. Location

3. Briefly describe your previous work history (the vocational area, length of time in the industry, the key roles you undertook)

4. What motivated you to change?

5. Describe your new vocation (how different it is to what you did before, include when you changed careers, what benefits the change brought, what unexpected challenges arose where you hope it might lead).

6. How did you succeed in making the change? (did you defer the move for any length of time?, what was the eventual push/trigger? did you have to obtain training or qualifications in your new vocational area (describe them if you did please)? To what extent did your previous experience help?

7. Detail the web address you would like to refer people to.

Thanks in anticipation,

Mike Bryon

Email help@mikebryon.com

I promise it’s the last time I ask but is there really no one who will be a case study in my next careers book?

There are two sorts: Short (I need 8 more like this): Jeremy wrote “I recently changed career from an IT project manager to a professional photographer - a lifelong hobby and my dream career”. More detailed (I need one more and I am happy if it includes a web page address to promote your books or services).

For the more detailed example I need 1. Your name (a pen name is fine) and location, 2. Briefly portray your previous work history (the length of time in the areas), 3. The aspects of your previous work that you enjoyed, what it failed to provide and the reason for you wanting to change, 4. Detail your new vocation, how it differs to what you did before, what benefits the change brought, what if any unexpected challenges arose and where you hoped it might still lead, 5. Describe how you made the change? What was the ultimate push/trigger that made it possible. How applicable was your previous experience to your new vocation? 6. A web address.

mike bryon wrote:

I promise it’s the last time I ask but is there really no one who will be a case study in my next careers book?

There are two sorts: Short (I need 8 more like this): Jeremy wrote “I recently changed career from an IT project manager to a professional photographer - a lifelong hobby and my dream career”. More detailed (I need one more and I am happy if it includes a web page address to promote your books or services).

For the more detailed example I need 1. Your name (a pen name is fine) and location, 2. Briefly portray your previous work history (the length of time in the areas), 3. The aspects of your previous work that you enjoyed, what it failed to provide and the reason for you wanting to change, 4. Detail your new vocation, how it differs to what you did before, what benefits the change brought, what if any unexpected challenges arose and where you hoped it might still lead, 5. Describe how you made the change? What was the ultimate push/trigger that made it possible. How applicable was your previous experience to your new vocation? 6. A web address.

I have nothing to promote but I'd be happy to partake.

I went from Homemaker to Accountant. I had to go to school for five years to get an AA in Accounting. Does that count?

Mike, this is off topic, but I hope you will forgive it.

It would be so much easier to read your posts if you took a moment to use the "sizes" tab to increase your font to "12," which is the size generally used here. My 66 year old eyes require bifocals for reading smaller print, and when a computer screen is involved, that means craning my neck backwards to a point that triggers my arthritis and stiffens my neck painfully.

As to your current study, it sounds interesting; I retired from teaching eight years ago to focus on writing, but I would need to know much more about this study before I would consider participating.

Ann

Great iidea, Ann. My 105 year old eyes agree with you.

Yes, ladies, it would save me time as well. I edit all Mike's posts to remove the size and font tags.

Mike, at the top right of the quick reply box you will see this icon:

Click on it to change the editor mode. Anything pasted in, or typed in, will then automatically appear using the forum default font and size.

Sorry about the font size I’ll change my ways. Here goes.
I have just started using glasses for work too. I usually write with the page resolution at 150% so I can avoid wearing them.
Homemaker to accountant and teaching to writing is exactly what I was hoping for. Anything you offer is very welcome Chris.
I am also happy to provide the information you request, Ann fire away

I've tried to edit it but ...failure

I don't think it worked!

got it

Most people only read them if they have to - when they are applying for a job or course and face an assessment.

How to pass the UKCAT, how to pass the GMAT, how to pass the UK firefighter national selection process, ultimate psychometric tests, tiles on the UK civil service qualifying tests, graduate psychometric tests, numeracy, verbal reasoning, diagrammatic reasoning, data interpretation….

Most are listed at www.mikebryon.com (it’s not up to date) or visit amazon.co.uk and advance search author mike bryon then they all appear.

The current title is a little different (part of a new great answers series) it offers a diagnostic assessment of the readers interests and motivations offers an assessment of their personality type and lists possible careers linked to those types. The first two chapters discuss developments in the world of work and 20 case studies of people who have changed careers. The rest of the book is concerned with a questionnaire, interpretation of your score and a listing of 1000 careers.

Let’s hope I get this font size thing right. Fingers crossed.

Dear Mike,
I am an older bat. I worked at little bookkeeping, clerical jobs, made no money and at 56 years old started a wetland nursery/planting business. I planted ponds with native pond plants and trees. I made about 80 thousand a year doing that. It was a lot of hard and manual work, but it was more than I earned as a bookkeeper for small enterprises.

When the bottom fell out of the house building market, no one needed big, wetland grasses for golf course landscapes and most of the golf courses were bankrupt.

I went into hydroponic strawberry farming. Small we are. This is my second year, but we have a broker/buyer who will take what we grow in strawberries. At first, I grew every thing I could grow in our climate. Green beans, squash, lettuce, broccoli, onions, turnips, ....you name it I tried it out.
I tried it as a U-Pick. It was a failure financially. I canned, froze, fed goats, gave away and produced so much produce in a small space that I wondered about world hunger.

It takes a while to know what you are doing in any new field.

I would take part in your study.

Do you give credits for the people who contribute?

Love,
Betty

Betty, what an adventure. I would love you to contribute and yes the stage is yours. I want other voices and all credit to the them. By the way I think hydroponics is the future in lots of little out of the way places. We currently live on a tiny island, a police station, post office, three little shops and then there is the casino, 5 star golf course, raffles resort, private villas on the estate etc and airport for the private jets! An island of two worlds the super rich and the other 1,000 soles. They have an hydroponic farm here growing the rocket, fresh salad and herbs for the hotels. The water is desalinated. See www.canouan.com

I'll send a PM later. Obviously, I'm not going to post this kind of information in public.

Chris
I look forward to receiving your pm.
Thanks
Mike

Dear Mike,
Send me the questions you want answered. bettyfasig@wildblue.net

I am glad that you stated all the variables to the math question of the train going 50 or 70 because that has haunted me these many years. It has thwarted my whole mathematical education. I have been less than I would have been because of that one sorry question! In the first place, I had no idea of trains or tracks or time or distance. It was an unfair question for a kid who walked to school and had never seen a train.

I wish I could see the turtles fly, too.

Love,
Betty

will do